Recently, a friend told me about a belief from her religious faith that resonated with me. She explained this belief is that we are born into our lives already connected to people who we became separated from, and that at some point when we are most in need of finding each other, God helps bring us back together. And when we see them, when we meet, it is as though we recognize each other–it is as though we have known each other all along. What she shared struck a chord with me because I have experienced this phenomenon with the families in Gaza who I am closest to, in particular with my friend Yanis and his family.
I still remember the first voice note I ever received from Yanis’ wife, Leila. It came to me when I was having a very difficult time, at the exact moment when I was struggling the most. There was something so familiar about her voice, so powerful in hearing her words–something shifted, inside of me. It was as though for just a moment, we were in the same place, connected by something invisible yet tangible. I felt a flash of recognition, a boost of support, as though she had taken my hand and looked into my eyes and made our hearts smile in unison. Since then, this feeling has only grown stronger. I feel a deep and abiding kinship, friendship, and loyalty to both Yanis and Leila, and by extension, their families. My connection to them has been life-changing and profound, and I am deeply honored to write this in an attempt to introduce you to them today.
Yanis and his wife are parents to their beautiful son Mahdi, and their family also includes Yanis’ younger brothers, his mother, and more family members through their extended families on both sides. Yanis has also been committed to helping provide for his mother and his siblings from a young age when his father was killed during the bombing of their house by Israeli Occupation Forces in 2014. Every member of Yanis’ family has lost friends, loved ones, and more members of their extended families these past two years; their networks of care and responsibility have also expanded as they try to deal with both individual and collective losses and grief. It has not been easy, and in fact, things have only grown harder. But through it all, this family keeps going, keeps trying, and keeps sending love to those around them.
My messages to them frequently begin with the greeting, “Hello, Beautiful Family,” because that is what they are to me–a family that is beautiful in every way, despite the hardship and suffering they have been forced to endure. Every day they try to find a way to create moments of joy for sweet Mahdi, who I adore and wish could have every happiness.
I once wrote that Mahdi has a smile that spreads joy and love, a smile that lights up the world and makes you believe that anything is possible. And I can’t help but credit his parents with being the birthplace of this smile. Because while Mahdi’s smile belongs to him, and although he generously shares it with us, it is because of everything his parents are doing, even in the midst of so much hardship and danger, that sweet Mahdi smiles. And the love Yanis and Leila have for their son is also as beautiful as Mahdi’s smile.
Yanis’ own words about Mahdi express his deep love for him, as he explains,
“As for my only child, he is the accent of my heart, and the fulfilment of my dream of becoming a father. But my child suffers from a birth defect in the heart, and needs special care for that, and this is what hurts my heart the most in this sorrowful war. I suffer with every breath when my child does not get his milk, diapers, and his most basic rights, like the rest of the children. By the way, Mahdi loves bananas and loves to play cars, and he also loves all animals.”
Love and compassion are at the core of Yanis’ nature, and this is evident not just in how he cares for his family, but also how his kind heart responds to others around him, often those who need help. His compassion is evident in how he tries to offer support to others in need, and also in the friendship he has given to me. He and Leila have shown me remarkable kindness and generosity, and they even include me in the small celebratory moments they keep trying to create within their lives, in spite of the many dangers and constraints imposed upon them by the genocide.
Before October 2023, this family had been building a beautiful life for themselves, even within the limitations caused by the occupation. They had created a world of shining light and beauty, and even though it may feel as though the darkness of what has since happened has taken this all away, this light and beauty still remain. Because this family carries this world of light and beauty within them. It is in their nature. It is in their commitment. And it is evident in their love for each other. I pray for the day when they will have safety, comfort, and opportunity to again create the lives they want and deserve. And I am determined to be here for them in every way I can be, now and for the rest of my life.
And one way I am doing this is by trying to bring them closer to you, to ask you to help them too. Our sustained support helps get them closer to the future they deserve, helps them survive the dangers that are still present now.
For those of you reading this who are in the Bellingham area, you have two upcoming opportunities to participate in local events that will support this sweet family, the first one being a fundraiser yoga class benefit on Friday, October 3, 2025 at 6pm at Flux Power Yoga, with donations from this class going towards Yanis and his family; and the second will be during the next "Eight Families in Gaza: Amplifying Their Voices” presentation, which will be at 3:30 pm on Saturday, October 18, 2025 at the Bellingham Public Library. (This event is not sponsored by the Bellingham Public Library).
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